Sexual Offences

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans he has to increase the number of years before an application may be made by a convicted sex offender to review an indeterminate notification requirement;
	(2)  what plans he has to increase the notification period for sex offenders sentenced to a prison sentence of (a) more than six months but less than 30 months, (b) six months or less and (c) a caution under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Government is confident that we have a robust framework in place to manage registered sex offenders and has no plans to increase the notification periods for sex offenders or to increase the number of years before an offender is eligible to apply for a review of their indefinite notification requirements.

Bisphenol A

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he plans to include environmental exposure to chemicals such as Bisphenol A as a preventable risk factor in the UK Strategy for Cancer and NHS Cancer Plan; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what research his Department has funded to investigate the links between exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as Bisphenol A and the risk of developing breast cancer;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce the risks of breast cancer caused by modifiable environmental factors; and whether this will include steps to reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as Bisphenol A.

Anna Soubry: There is an active network of officials across the United Kingdom Governments who keep each other appraised of developments in the regulation of Bisphenol-A (BPA) specifically and endocrine disruption more generally. This group is also engaged at European Union level.
	It is well established that BPA can disrupt the endocrine (hormone) system, but only extremely weakly. A well-designed study published in October 2009 found no adverse effects in rats exposed to levels 4,000 times higher than the maximum exposure of human adults in the general population.
	BPA has been found not to produce significant carcinogenic responses in rats and mice. Further reassurance arises from BPA's lack of mutagenicity in relevant animal studies; substances that otherwise produce positive results in such tests are generally viewed as a carcinogenic threat to humans.
	In 2006, the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) assessed the health impact of BPA and established a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI), which is the amount that can be eaten every day, over a whole lifetime, without causing appreciable harm. The TDI is well above general levels of human consumption. A further Opinion by EFSA on BPA was published on 30 September 2010 and took into account more recent studies on possible BPA enhancement of breast cancer, but concluded that the existing TDI did not require adjustment.
	In the light of the EFSA assessments published so far, the Government does not propose to limit further the use of BPA in food or non-food applications beyond current levels, which have been set following already rigorous risk assessment.
	BPA is registered under the EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) regulation. According to REACH provisions, the German Competent Authority is already evaluating its registration with a view to deciding whether any more information or regulatory action is needed. We should know more about the outcome of this process early next year. While there is currently no reason to believe that robust evidence will arise requiring further controls on BPA, the Government remain alert to any evidence derived from this or other sources, and to expert opinions from authorities such as EFSA.
	On 12 January 2011, we published ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’, which set out actions to tackle preventable cancer incidence; improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services; improve patients' experience of care; improve quality of life for cancer survivors; and deliver outcomes that are comparable with the best in Europe.
	The World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer lists over 40 workplace agents or activities as definitely or probably carcinogenic. Our strategy highlighted that protecting people from cancer-related workplace risks has an important part to play in reducing preventable cancer incidence, setting out that research undertaken by Imperial College London for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimated that over 8,000 cancer deaths per year are due to occupational exposures in Great Britain. The HSE is committed to reducing these numbers and has a range of activities in place, including interventions with industry stakeholders, targeted inspection initiatives and awareness raising initiatives.
	The board of the HSE has acknowledged that occupational cancer is a serious issue and the profile needs to be raised. We understand that the HSE is planning to host a conference in 2012-13 to engage other stakeholders with a view to ensuring that all parties understand the role they need to play in this matter and to share knowledge.
	The Department has not funded research specifically on links between exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and the risk of developing breast cancer.

Homeopathy

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent from the public purse on homeopathy in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: Data on how much the national health service spends on the provision of homeopathy is not separately identifiable from data collected centrally.

Kettering Hospital

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that the accident and emergency department at Kettering General Hospital will not be downgraded or closed as part of the Healthier Together South East Midlands Acute Services Review; and if he will ensure that patients and clinical staff at Kettering General Hospital will be fully involved in that review.

Anna Soubry: This is a matter for the local national health service. The Government has pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not driven from the top down.
	Any proposed significant changes to services are subject to the strengthened four reconfiguration tests, which are:
	support from general practitioner commissioners;
	arrangements for public and patient engagement, including local authorities, being further strengthened;
	greater clarity about the clinical evidence bases underpinning proposals; and
	proposals taking into account the need to develop and support patient choice.

NHS: Finance

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on (a) redundancy payments, (b) pay in lieu of notice and (c) additional payments to pension schemes for staff from primary care trusts to date.

Daniel Poulter: Information on redundancy payments is not available in the format requested. The following table contains the cost of "compulsory redundancies" and "other departures" for primary care trusts (PCTs) during 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	
		
			 £000 
			 Category 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Compulsory redundancies 4,457 60,039 
			 Other departures 1,737 108,665 
			 Notes: 1. "Other departures" include early retirements (except those due to ill health), voluntary redundancies, Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme, pay in lieu of notice etc. 2. Voluntary redundancies are not separately identifiable from other departures; therefore, an overall figure for redundancies is not available. 
		
	
	Information on “exit packages”, (i.e. compulsory redundancies and other departures) was first collected centrally for the 2009-10 financial year; therefore, figures on an equivalent basis for earlier years are not available.
	The data are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of PCTs, from which the NHS (England) Summarised Accounts are prepared.
	The cost of ‘pay in lieu of notice' is not separately identifiable from the accounting information collected centrally.
	Additional contributions to pension schemes made by PCTs includes costs associated with providing ‘premature retirement/ benefits under the NHS Pension Scheme. Premature retirement is currently available to staff who choose to retire early because of redundancy, and are over their minimum pension age. It allows them to draw their pension immediately, without actuarial reduction.
	Data relating to PCT employer contributions for the purposes of Premature Retirement is available from 2009-10 and is contained in following table. These data relate to the total contributions PCTs made as capitalised lump sum payments to cover these costs. Up until; recently, PCTs could opt to pay the associated costs over the life of the premature pension, however this information can only be obtained within the required timeframe at disproportionate cost for this timeframe.
	
		
			  Payments made by PCT for the purposes of premature retirement (£) 
			 2009-10 18,372,894 
			 2010-11 38,837,477 
			 2011-12 40,469,069 
			 Source: NHS Pensions 
		
	
	Data prior to 2008-09 are not available. Data collected by NHS Pensions has not been separately analysed and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Bangladesh

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcomes were of her Bangladesh Remittance and Payments Partnership; and how the project was implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Remittance and Payments Partnership programme, which ended in 2011, had the objective of improving access to and reducing the cost of remittances for the poor in Bangladesh. Key programme outcomes include:
	Savings of $66 million by migrants in Saudi Arabia, UK and Singapore by bringing down the cost of formal remittance transfers.
	Establishment of the Bangladesh Automated Cheque Handling System that has resulted in a reduction in the time required to deliver a remittance. 95% of individuals surveyed received their remittances in less than 15 days, of which 65% received them in less than seven days compared to 20-25 days.
	Increased usage of formal remittance channels, reported to be at 90%.
	Emerging Markets Group implemented this programme in partnership with Bangladesh Bank, International Organisation for Migration and Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit.

Bangladesh

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from her Public Service Capacity Building Programme; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: By January 2013, the intended outcome of the Public Service Capacity Building project (PSCB) is to have contributed to strengthening the leadership competencies and capacity of 1,700 senior level, reform-minded, civil servants. This will translate into more effective leadership for the development and delivery of government policy.
	Some specific outcomes expected of the project include:
	the development of human resource policies, systems and procedures to enable effective deployment of staff in the civil service;
	the training of 1700 senior managers and other senior public sector managers.
	PSCB is implemented by the company Capita Helm, in consortium with the British Council, in support of Bangladesh's Ministry of Public Administration.

Bangladesh

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from the Strengthening Political Participation in Bangladesh Programme; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: By 2015, the Strengthening Political Participation programme is expected to have contributed to:
	Political parties and candidates becoming more responsive to citizens and their needs;
	More examples of policy debate around issues, both locally and nationally, as an alternative to confrontational politics;
	More channels through which Parties, MPs and political institutions can be held accountable; and
	Improved public confidence in the Election Commission and the electoral process.
	The programme is implemented in partnership with USAID. Activities are implemented by Democracy International, the National Democratic Institute, The Asia Foundation, Transparency International Bangladesh, the United Nations Development Programme and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Bangladesh

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from the Underprivileged Children's Education and Skills Programme; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: By the end of December 2015, expected achievements of the Underprivileged Children's Education and Skills programme are:
	34,500 children (50% girls) will graduate from grade VIII;
	23,000 children (45% girls) will receive technical training; and
	90% of these graduates will be employed.
	This programme is implemented through a partnership with a Bangladesh non-Government organisation, UCEP (Underprivileged Children's Education Programme).

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from her Department's funding through the Manusher Jonno Foundation in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: By 2013, the Rights and Governance Challenge Fund, implemented by the Manusher Jonno Foundation, is expected to have enabled 253,000 poor and vulnerable people to benefit from social safety net programmes, 11,700 children to be withdrawn from hazardous work, and 121,000 workers in garments and shrimp industries to be paid on time and have improved working conditions. In 2011 alone, the programme supported 5,755 women to receive government land that is meant to be allocated to poor people, and 7,000 boys and girls to obtain stipends from the government to attend school.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department's Manusher Jonno project in Bangladesh is being implemented.

Alan Duncan: The Rights and Governance Challenge Fund is managed by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF). The fund is allocated through a competitive process and currently supports around 110 small and medium-sized Bangladeshi non-governmental organisations, and through them 300 community-based organisations across Bangladesh to assist the most marginalised communities to become more empowered and improve the quality of their lives.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether it remains her policy that her Department's Operational Plan in Bangladesh 2011-2015 should reduce its targets on (a) governance and security, (b) education and (c) poverty, hunger and vulnerability.

Alan Duncan: DFID policy is that the headline targets in the Bangladesh Operational Plan are adjusted downwards in (a) governance and security, (b) education and (c) poverty, hunger and vulnerability. These revisions were made following a methodological review under which a common approach to attributing results has been adopted based on DFID's financial contribution to each programme. This allows DFID to aggregate results across its country programmes. In some areas, such as governance and security, new data has also emerged since the original Operational Plan was published which changes the baseline on which the result targets were based. This does not, however, reflect a change in policy around DFID's overall work in these sectors in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how she proposes that the wealth creation pillar in her Department's Operational Plan in Bangladesh 2011-2015 of increasing income for selected groups will be implemented.

Alan Duncan: DFID is working with a range of partners on projects to deliver results linked to the wealth creation pillar in the DFID Bangladesh Operational Plan.
	This includes tackling the macro issues of an improved investment climate to make Bangladesh a more attractive place to do business, as well as activity on the ground to increase opportunity for micro, small and medium enterprises to thrive, in turn creating jobs and income. DFID is also currently developing new programmes to address the shortage of skilled labour, and increase access to finance for those currently not able to secure it for livelihood and enterprise opportunities.
	Outcomes include:
	supporting 2.3 million farmers and small businesses to improve productivity by adapting new cultivation techniques and business processes;
	facilitating access to finance for 445,000 additional households, farmers and small businesses;
	reducing regulatory burden on businesses, in selected areas, by 25% by 2015.

Bangladesh

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from her Accelerating Improved Nutrition for Extreme Poor in Bangladesh project; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The Accelerating Improved Nutrition for Extreme Poor Project (2012-15) focuses on the nutrition needs of 600,000 people including children, adolescent girls and pregnant and breast-feeding women. In particular, it expects to improve the quality, quantity and variety of food intake, leading to better health outcomes for the extreme poor.
	The project is implemented through DFID's three ongoing poverty programmes:
	Chars Livelihoods Programme;
	Economic Empowerment of the Poorest Programme; and
	Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Programme.

Bangladesh

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what outcomes she expects from her Technical Assistance to Support Improved Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh programme; and how the project is being implemented in Bangladesh.

Alan Duncan: The objective of this programme is for Bangladesh to achieve better development results through improved management and increased accountability for the allocation and delivery of foreign assistance by the Government of Bangladesh. The expected outcomes are:
	harmonising donor/government practices to reduce fragmentation, inefficiencies and transaction costs;
	more efficient use of resources for implementing national priorities, with increased impact by streamlining and speeding up project planning and approval;
	donor alignment behind country strategies and plans, and use of country procurement and public financial management systems (where risks are covered), building the country's capacity to lead and manage their own development;
	well-functioning systems for results and performance accountability.
	The project is run by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Government of Bangladesh and is funded by UNDP, UK, Australia and Denmark with some staff resources and offices provided by the Government of Bangladesh.